Little Known Facts of American Presidents

[Potters Goblet]

The title's pretty self-explanatory. Post things here that aren't common knowledge about the US PRESIDENTS. Or just facts about some of the lesser known American Presidents. Take Millard Fillmore for example. President number 13. I'd be willing to bet not many people know ANYTHING about him, yet he was a relatively accomplished president, in general.

But he's also an interesting character by his own right.

Fillmore married his teacher, Abigail Powers, who was 2 years older than her husband. Abigail arranged for the purchase of the first cooking stove in the White House. But the cook couldn't figure out how to work the stove, so the president went to the U.S. Patent Office, read the patent for the stove, and went back to the White House and taught the cook how to use it. Abigail also set up the first White House library and had the first bathtub installed.

When Great Britain's Oxford University offered him an honorary degree, he replied that he had done nothing to deserve the honor and would not accept the degree.

He was a man that stood by his accomplishments and admitted freely his mistakes. For one of the lesser known presidents, he was one of the few who truly possessed honor, loyalty and great moral strength.

1)Who was our only bachelor President?

2)Who was the youngest president to SERVE as president?
(trick question)

3)Who was the youngest man ELECTED President?

These things and many more can be discussed here. Ask your questions. Maybe someone out there will know. Bring up whatever you'd like to bring up.

4)Who was the only president to serve as Chief Justice of the Supreme Court AFTER being elected president?

ANSWERS TO MY QUESTIONS
1) James Buchanan
2) Teddy Roosevelt became president upon the death of Wm. McKinley. He was 42 at the time he was inaugurated.
3) JFK. He was 43 when elected president.
4) Wm. H. Taft served as the nation's 27th president from 1909 to 1913. He was Chief Justice of the Supreme Court from 1921 to 1930, resigning just before his death. He was also the "fattest" US President and reportedly once got stuck in the bathtub.

Just some little known facts.

[Fire_Phoenix]

i study american politics and i find that most of them talked knickers, i say most, gross generaliseation, but true in some circles, unavoidable but true.

[iluvhhr]

I've heard about Taft getting stuck in the tub. :lol: Lyndon B. Johnson was a "tough Texan" who liked to shower with A LOT of water pressure. Once, when he went on a trip, a White House official climbed into his shower and turned on the water. The offical got pinned against the shower wall and had to yell for Secret Service to rescue him.

I think this is pretty much common knowledge, but Ulysses S. Grant was an alcoholic with the most corrupt administration in US history. He is constantly on lists of the worst presidents. Also, Ulysses was his middle name. I think it was flipped around so that his initials were like this- U.S.A.G. I'm not entirely sure about the S and A, though. But I believe it was switched to that.

[Potters Goblet]

i study american politics and i find that most of them talked knickers, i say most, gross generaliseation, but true in some circles, unavoidable but true.


"talked knickers?"

[Potters Goblet]

at 5'4, less than 100 pounds, James Madison was the smallest president (in stature).

Madison and Zachary Taylor were second cousins.

He was the first president to wear long trousers. All the previous presidents wore knee breeches.

His last words were: "I always talk better lying down."

[Potters Goblet]

With 15, John Tyler had the most children of any US PRESIDENT.

Which Presidents died on the Fourth of July?
Jefferson, 1826;
John Adams, 1826;
and Monroe, 1831.

Who was the first President born after the adoption of the U.S. Constitution? Tyler.
Who was the first President to ride on a railroad train? Jackson.

At the time he found out about the plane hitting the WTC, G.W. Bush was in Florida reading a story entitled "THE PET GOAT" to a class of second graders.

All U.S. Presidents have worn glasses, some of them just didn't like to be seen with them in public.


All of the presidents have had a sibling.
(Though some have had only HALF-siblings, such as Wm. J. Clinton)

The most common first name for a president is James or some variation of it. James Madison, James Monroe, James Polk, James Buchanan, James Garfield, Jimmy Carter


Mary Todd Lincoln was the first presidential wife to be referred to as The First Lady

No president has ever died in the month of May.
(eerily hits home because Ronald Reagan died in JUNE of last year... like June 5th or so...)


Seven presidents have officially changed their names:


Ulysses Simpson Grant(was Hiram Ulysses Grant)
(So his initials ORIGINALLY spelled the word "HUG"... imagine that Monogram on your general's lapel)

Grover Cleveland(was Stephen Grover Cleveland)
Woodrow Wilson(was Thomas Woodrow Wilson)
Calvin Coolidge(was John Calvin Coolidge)
Dwight David Eisenhower(was David Dwight Eisenhower)
Gerald R. Ford(was Leslie King, Jr.)
William Clinton(was William Jefferson Blythe)

[haha]

JFK was not only the youngest but he was also the first Roman Catholic to serve in that office.

[yrome]

(Stephen) Grover Cleveland was ambidexterous and multilingual. He used to entertain guests by writing in Greek with one hand and Latin with the other simultaneously.

[callmegoddess]

John Adams' last words were, "At least Jefferson still lives."

[Rapunzel]

John Adams' last words were, "At least Jefferson still lives."
But Jefferson had actually died a few hours earlier.

[haha]

I gues that's one of those little ironies of life. Two best friends who suffered a strained relationship in the last years to the point of almost not speaking. They both die on the 4th, the day America celebrates the signing of Jefferson's historic Declaration. And Adam's last words were "at least Jefferson lives" but ironically he had actually already died.

[kingwidgit]

JFK was not only the youngest but he was also the first Roman Catholic to serve in that office.
Actually, JFK was not the youngest president. That destinction goes to Theodore Roosevelt. Following the assassination of President McKinley, Sept. 1901, Vice President Roosevelt was sworn in as the 26th (I think) president, age 42. His next birthday occured Oct, that same year.
JFK was the youngest man ever elected to the Oval Office, age 42--but wasn't inaugurated until after his 43rd birthday.

[haha]

When i said JFK was the 'youngest' i was referring to Potters Goblet's third question which said asked who was the youngest ELECTED president. As you mentioned Roosevelt was sworn in upon the assasination on McKinley, so he wasn't actually elected in by the people.

[Potters Goblet]

When i said JFK was the 'youngest' i was referring to Potters Goblet's third question which said asked who was the youngest ELECTED president. As you mentioned Roosevelt was sworn in upon the assasination on McKinley, so he wasn't actually elected in by the people.


Correct. the youngest president to SERVE as president was ol' T.R. Teddy Roosevelt. The youngest ELECTED president was JFK.

[iluvhhr]

I recently learned that Abraham Lincoln should not have died. He would have been better off with no medical treatment. The doctor was very young and was an OB/GYN. Doctors back then probed the wound to see how deep it was. He just pushed the bullet in farther. With proper treatment, Lincoln would have had some brain damage but would have led an almost normal life.

Also, the police officer guarding Lincoln was the worst possible choice- he was an alcoholic who left the play for the bar across the street. He wasn't around when Lincoln was shot.

[haha]

William Henry Harrison, 9th president of the United states, served the shortest time of any American President, only thirty-two days. He also was the first President from the Whig Party. He had won his nickname, "Old Tip," as the tough commanding general of American forces who defeated hostile Native Americans at the Battle of Tippecanoe in the Ohio River Valley in 1811.

[Kopannie]

I saw this in time magazine around the election... did you know that President Bush is Queen Elizabeth II's 13 cousin? He's also related to Hugh Heffner but I forget how.

[haha]

Hugh Heffner is the president's 9th cousin twice removed.

George Bush (first) is the fifth cousin four times removed of Franklin Pierce, seventh cousin three times removed of Theodore Roosevelt, seventh cousin four times removed of Abraham Lincoln, eleventh cousin once removed of Gerald Ford. Also, G.W. Bush (2nd) and John Kerry are calculated to be 16th cousins thrice removed and on top of that, Bush and Kerry have several cousins in common (Walt Disney, Michael Douglas, Clint Eastwood, the Wright Brothers, Meriwether Lewis, Hugh Hefner, Clara Barton, Georgia O’Keeffe, Princess Diana and even former Vermont Governor Howard Dean).

[Potters Goblet]

William Henry Harrison, 9th president of the United states, served the shortest time of any American President, only thirty-two days. He also was the first President from the Whig Party. He had won his nickname, "Old Tip," as the tough commanding general of American forces who defeated hostile Native Americans at the Battle of Tippecanoe in the Ohio River Valley in 1811.
and Harrison won on the slogan "Tippecanoe and Tyler too...." YOu know that had to really stink if you were Tyler.... "The Hero... oh and that other fella also...."

Trivia question for you, Haha... (or anyone that can answer it first.) WHH was the FIRST Whig candidate. True. But Who was the LAST?

Also other than Democrat and Republican and Federalist and Whig, what political parties have had presidents in the whitehouse?

Hugh Heffner is the president's 9th cousin twice removed.

George Bush (first) is the fifth cousin four times removed of Franklin Pierce, seventh cousin three times removed of Theodore Roosevelt, seventh cousin four times removed of Abraham Lincoln, eleventh cousin once removed of Gerald Ford. Also, G.W. Bush (2nd) and John Kerry are calculated to be 16th cousins thrice removed and on top of that, Bush and Kerry have several cousins in common (Walt Disney, Michael Douglas, Clint Eastwood, the Wright Brothers, Meriwether Lewis, Hugh Hefner, Clara Barton, Georgia O’Keeffe, Princess Diana and even former Vermont Governor Howard Dean).

John Adams and Thomas Jefferson were also distantly related I'm told. Though in all my genealogical research I've never been able to confirm that. However, John Hancock and John Adams were distant cousins. Though I can not confirm or deny my own connection to Hancock yet, I have discovered that connection which is neat.

[PLIMPY]

Originally Posted by Potters Goblet
Trivia question for you, Haha... (or anyone that can answer it first.) WHH was the FIRST Whig candidate. True. But Who was the LAST?
For some reason my initial thought was Taylor, but as he died in office and was followed by Fillmore, I would guess that Fillmore would have to have been the last Whig, although he did eventually change to become a member of the no-nothing party if I remember correctly.

Originally Posted by Potters Goblet
Also other than Democrat and Republican and Federalist and Whig, what political parties have had presidents in the whitehouse?
There was also the Democratic-Republican party, sometimes called the anti-federalist party, who had, let's see F,F, DR, DR, DR, DR, so that is Jefferson, Madison, Monroe, and John Quincy Adams. Andrew Johnson might also be considered part of the Union Party for some of his time in office, although I don't know much about that, when we had to memorize them in high school we were told that he was a Republican.

I really couldn't even tell you the names of all of my cousins, let alone my seventh counsin four times removed. Although it is interesting to see that so many of the people who have ruled the US have come from the same family, or lineage or whatever.

[Potters Goblet]

For some reason my initial thought was Taylor, but as he died in office and was followed by Fillmore, I would guess that Fillmore would have to have been the last Whig, although he did eventually change to become a member of the no-nothing party if I remember correctly.


There was also the Democratic-Republican party, sometimes called the anti-federalist party, who had, let's see F,F, DR, DR, DR, DR, so that is Jefferson, Madison, Monroe, and John Quincy Adams. Andrew Johnson might also be considered part of the Union Party for some of his time in office, although I don't know much about that, when we had to memorize them in high school we were told that he was a Republican.

I really couldn't even tell you the names of all of my cousins, let alone my seventh counsin four times removed. Although it is interesting to see that so many of the people who have ruled the US have come from the same family, or lineage or whatever.

The last WHIG was indeed Millard Fillmore. Though technically listed as a Republican you are correct in saying Andrew Johnson was a UNION Party member. (something I didn't know until I looked it up just now. Cool thanks!)


The first REPUBLICAN President was ABE LINCOLN
THE FIRST DEMOCRAT was Andrew Jackson
the first DEMOCRATIC-REPUBLICAN was Thomas Jefferson
Of course the first FEDERALIST was Washington
The second (and last) Was John Adams
Odd that John Q. Adams was a Democratic-Republican. Different from the party of his father. Just strikes me as strange.

For a listing of third party candidates that didn't make it into the white house go here ---->
http://www.presidentsusa.net/thirdparty.html

It's not all-inclusive but it gives you an idea.

The following website provides some fun information on the presidents, including nicknames and such.

http://www.geocities.com/presfacts/general.html

[genesis]

Abraham Lincoln is a distant cousin, by marriage, of Paul Revere.
Some say Lincoln's mother, Nancy Hanks, was illegtimate.
Gerald Ford almost signed with the Green Bay Packers.
Both Ford and George H.W. Bush served at the same Naval station, but at different times.
Only one president, James Polk, managed to accomplished all of his campaign promises.

[Potters Goblet]

Only one president, James Polk, managed to accomplished all of his campaign promises.
are we sure he made any? LOL just kidding. But that's actually very ironic. Of forty plus presidents, ONE has done what he's said he'd do.

[Kopannie]

are we sure he made any? LOL just kidding. But that's actually very ironic. Of forty plus presidents, ONE has done what he's said he'd do.

LOL this honestly suprises anyone?

Thanks HAHA, did you get that stuff out of Time Magazine too? I thought that was really cool.

[Potters Goblet]

LOL this honestly suprises anyone?

Thanks HAHA, did you get that stuff out of Time Magazine too? I thought that was really cool.

There are a ton of places with interesting (and often pointless) Historical trivia. As I am a perveyor of useless knowledge (a la Ken Jennings) I am all the time looking for sites like that on the internet. That's how I end up starting most of the discussion strings I start. I'll get fixated on something and decide it's worth discussing.

[haha]

Thanks HAHA, did you get that stuff out of Time Magazine too? I thought that was really cool.
Nah, I just surfed the net and came up with some really cool info :D

Here's some more...a list of left handed presidents:
James A. Garfield (1831-1881) 20th
Herbert Hoover (1874-1964) 31st
Harry S. Truman (1884-1972) 33rd
Gerald Ford (1913- ) 38th
Ronald Reagan (1911 - ) 40th
George H.W. Bush (1924- ) 41st
Bill Clinton (1946- ) 42nd

[Kopannie]

There are a ton of places with interesting (and often pointless) Historical trivia. As I am a perveyor of useless knowledge (a la Ken Jennings) I am all the time looking for sites like that on the internet. That's how I end up starting most of the discussion strings I start. I'll get fixated on something and decide it's worth discussing.

:agree: your my hero LOL

[Potters Goblet]

Only president sworn in by a woman: LBJ
First president to have a black person in his cabinet: LBJ
Two presidents were born in Texas: LBJ and Ike (Eisenhower)
Ike also played football with Jim Thorpe. He was actually injured trying to tackle Thorpe. The injury ended any hopes he had of attaining a football career.
Ike's presidency saw the admission of our 49th and 50th states. He was thus the first president to preside over the current number of 50 US States.

James Monroe ran unopposed for his second term in 1820.
James Madison was a second cousin to President Zachary Taylor and a half first cousin twice removed to George Washington.

George washington was the only president inaugurated in 2 cities (NY and Philadelphia).

Republican Senator Benjamin Wade voted not to convict Andrew Johnson though he would have become president if Johnson had been found guilty--Johnson was acquitted by only 1 vote.

Grant ran against the first woman to be nominated for President. Victoria Claflin Woodhall was nominated by the Equal Rights Party.

Zachary Taylor never lived in one place long enough to register to vote. He voted for the first time when he was 62 years old. Taylor had never voted in a Presidential Election until he voted for himself in 1848.

Teddy Roosevelt tried to have "In God We Trust" removed from coins. He thought it sacrilegious and unconstitutional

John Quincy Adams was the first President to serve in the U.S. House of Representatives after he served as President.

Andrew Jackson had a pet parrot named Poll. The parrot screamed curse words at his funeral.

John Tyler (10th president of the US.) joined the Confederacy when the Civil War started. Tyler was elected to the Confederate House of Representatives.

No President with a last name that begins in "H" was elected to two Presidential terms.

Lincoln was shot at twice before John Wilkes Booth killed him. Both times were while he was on his way to the Soldier's Home and Lincoln joked about them and ordered that they not be publicized.

Called "Silent Cal," Coolidge was once challenged by a reporter, saying, "I bet someone that I could get more than two words out of you." Coolidge responded, "You lose."

The oath of office for Coolidge was administered by Chief Justice William Howard Taft. This was the first time that a former President gave the oath of office to a President.

Charles Curtis, Hoover's vice president, was the only nonwhite person to be elected vice president of the U.S. He was a Kaw Indian.

A common sign held up by hitchhikers during the fall of 1932 read: "If you don't give me a ride, I'll vote for Hoover."

Hoover was the last President to have his term of office end on March 3.

[Potters Goblet]

Franklin Delano Roosevelt's mother forced him to wear a dress until he was five years old.

Genealogists have determined that FDR was related to: George Washington, John Adams, James Madison, John Quincy Adams, Martin Van Buren, William Henry Harrison, Zachary Taylor, Ulysses S. Grant, Benjamin Harrison, Theodore Roosevelt, and William Howard Taft.

In 1935, all plane flights over the White House were barred because they were disturbing President Roosevelt's sleep.

FDR was the first to name a woman to his Cabinet.

Truman was the first President to have his inauguration televised.

One day Harry Truman walked into the Green Room and looked down at the rug. Something bothered him about that rug--finally he realized that the head of the eagle on the presidential seal in the center of the rug was turned the wrong way. Instead of facing the olive branch, this eagle's head pointed toward the arrows. Promptly Truman ordered that the rug be re-stitched with the eagle's head turned the right way.
(True story.)

"Last Thursday night," John Kennedy said during the campaign, "Mr. Nixon dismissed me as 'another Truman.' I regard that as a great compliment. I consider him another Dewey."

Nixon was known to have a fire in the fire place at the same time he had the air Conditioner on in the office. (He sounds like me.)

Gerald Ford was named Leslie Lynch King, Jr. at birth. When his divorced mother remarried, he was adopted by his stepfather and named Gerald R. Ford after him. He was known as "Jerry."

[haha]

Going all out aren't you Potters Goblet :D

well here's some more to add to your list:

Bill Clinton suffers from chronic laryngitis, caused by allergies and the leaking of stomach acid into his throat. He's allergic to cats (including his daughter's cat Socks), certain greenery (including Christmas trees), dust, mold, pollen, beef and dairy products.

George Bush prefers Mexican and Chinese food and won't eat broccoli. "I'm President of the United States, and I'm not going to eat any more broccoli!" he explained with mock petulance. He's not wild about seafood either, even though he loves to fish. He uses the time on his boat Fidelity to think or clear his mind, and he releases much of his catch or gives it away.

Ronald Regan was vigorous, even though he was the oldest president in history; he was just shy of his 78th birthday on leaving office. He was an avid newspaper reader, and always turned first to the comic pages. He had little patience for detail and did not mind delegating.

[Potters Goblet]

Going all out aren't you Potters Goblet :D

.
Doing everything I can to keep this thread alive. Mods get picky sometimes if a thread's quiet for too long or doesn't produce what they think is viable information so I'm doing everything I can to make this an interesting, informative, entertaining and strong thread. Because things like this keep me entertained and I think there should be more of these.

Which reminds me I need to do more research for my charlie chaplin thread.... *Off to the internet with me*

[PLIMPY]

George Washington loved cream of peanut soup. (Do they even make that anymore?)
Things named after him: 1 state, 7 mountains, 8 streams, 10 lakes, 33 counties, 9 colleges, and 121 towns and villages

Martin Van Buren took $100,000, the sum of his salary as president for 4 years, in a lump sum at the end of his term.

Tyler was the first president to marry while in office. His new wife was Julia Gardiner. No U.S. president had more offspring. With 2 wives, Tyler fathered 15 children.

Originally Posted by genesis
Only one president, James Polk, managed to accomplished all of his campaign promises.
These were Polk's promises: to acquire California from Mexico, to settle the Oregon dispute, to lower the tariff, to establish a sub-treasury, and to retire from the office after 4 years
While he may have been a good president, he seems like he would have been a little boring, or at least not that much fun to work for. Polk didn't approve of dancing and didn't like music, except for hymns. He thought having fun meant wasting time and he didn't like to waste time. No refreshments were served at White House receptions during his tenure. Also, when Sarah Childress Polk became first lady, she immediately banned dancing from the White House. For 4 years no one danced a step there.

Buchanan liked to give sauerkraut and mashed potato parties. :huh: (Is it just me or is that an odd combination?)

[hermy_weasley2]

Teddy Roosevelt's kids were known as "the White House Gang" for all their exploits while their father was in office including taking their pony for ride in a White House elevator.

Washington, Jackson, Van Buren, Taylor, Fillmore, Lincoln, A. Johnson and Truman never attended college.

Adams, Jefferson and Monroe all died on the 4th of July.

James A. Garfield, Herbert Hoover, Harry S. Truman, Gerald Ford, Ronald Reagan, George H.W.Bush and Bill Clinton were all left-handed.

[haha]

sauerkraut and mashed potato parties.
:lol: No i don't think that's just you. You'd think that presidents were more into cavier and wine, don't you think ;)

[hermy_weasley2]

:lol: No i don't think that's just you. You'd think that presidents were more into cavier and wine, don't you think ;)


A lot of the presidents are known for shunning stuff like that.

And another one I thought of (still silly) Jimmy Carter made grits part of the official White house breakfast.

[haha]

A lot of the presidents are known for shunning stuff like that.

And another one I thought of (still silly) Jimmy Carter made grits part of the official White house breakfast.
Just shows you we shouldn't stereotype people, even people who rule the nation, like presidents :)

[PLIMPY]

Rutherford Hayes had the first telephone installed in the White House in 1879. Alexander Graham Bell invented the telephone in 1876.

The first Person to walk into the Oval Office was William Howard Taft. The Oval Office is contained in the West Wing, which was built by Theodore Roosevelt in 1902. President Roosevelt’s office in the West Wing was rectangular. Taft relocated his office and changed its shape to oval.

James Garfield was the only preacher to ever become president. He was an ordained minister who used his speaking ability to preach and teach

[Rapunzel]

Also, Ulysses was his middle name. I think it was flipped around so that his initials were like this- U.S.A.G. I'm not entirely sure about the S and A, though. But I believe it was switched to that.
His given name was Hyram Ulysses Grant. The congressman who recommended him for West Point thought his first name was Ulysses and guessed that his middle name must be his mother's maiden name, Simpson. Grant adopted the name and used it thereafter.

The first president to be born in the 20th century didn't take office until 1961 -- John F. Kennedy.

[haha]

John Quincy Adams was the 6th president of the United States, the first son of a president to be elected to the office himself.

James K. Polk was the 11th president. He is often referred to as the first "dark horse" President or little-known candidate, to win the presidency when he unexpectedly defeated Henry Clay in the election of 1844.

The first president to be born in the 20th century didn't take office until 1961 -- John F. Kennedy.
Millard Filmore was the 13th President of the United States. He was the first president born in the 19th century. He was in office between 1850-53.

[PLIMPY]

Gerald Ford (1974-77) was the only President to serve who was not elected by U.S. voters either as President or Vice President. In 1973 then-President Richard Nixon (1969-74) appointed Ford Vice President after former Vice President Spiro Agnew resigned. When Nixon resigned from the White House on August 9, 1974 (the only President to do so), Ford became President.

The Term "First Lady" was first used in 1877 in reference to Lucy Ware Webb Hayes. Most First Ladies, including Jackie Kennedy, are said to have hated the label.

Kennedy AND Taft are the only presidents buried in Arlington National Cemetery.

Benjamin Harrison (1889-93), the 23nd President, was the first President to attend a baseball game. He saw the Cincinnati Reds beat the Washington Senators 7 to 4 on June 6, 1892.

William Taft started the tradition of the Presidential "first pitch" of baseball season. The event took place on April 4, 1910, during an opening day game between the Washington Senators and the Philadelphia Athletics. Since Taft's first pitch, every President but one has opened at least one baseball season during their tenure. The exception: Jimmy Carter (1977-1981).

George Washington (1789-1797), Thomas Jefferson (1801-09), and John Adams (1797-1801) were all avid collectors and players of marbles

[Wab]

Here's more:

http://www.littleknownfactsshow.com/presidents.html

[haha]

On the link below, it shows 72 books about the lives of US-First Ladies.

http://www.powells.com/subsection/USHistoryFirstLadies.html